Ajinkya Rahane’s 98 powered Mumbai to their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final on Friday. (PTI)
Ajinkya Rahane has attributed mindset change as the key reason behind his continued evolution as a T20 batsman, after his blazing 98 off 56 deliveries against Baroda put Mumbai into the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s. Coming into their semifinal clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Rahane had scores of 54-ball 95 & 45-ball 84 against Andhra and Vidarbha in successive 200-plus targets and on Friday, needing 159 for a win, he batted Baroda into submission.
Similar to his last two innings, this wasn’t an innings where he destroyed the opposition attack with brute power. It was a knock that was very much built on his batting ethos, where timing and sticking to classic textbook shots, continue to make the batsman he is. The striking difference though is in his intent which has drastically changed since the time he joined Chennai Super Kings during the 2023 IPL, and one Rahane continues to build on.
Despite having Prithvi Shaw at the other end, Rahane turned aggressor. He started his innings with 4,6,4 off left-arm seamer Lukman Meriwala. Once he got the head start, Baroda could hardly bring him back into control. “It’s just a mindset change. The way this format is going on throughout the world, we see the first six overs are really important. You have to capitalise on those first six overs. If the opener or top three bats well in the first six overs and gets a big score, it becomes really easy after the first six overs. It’s all about that. This format is all about expressing ourselves, playing with intent and I’m happy that it’s coming off really well,” Rahane said.
When Kolkata Knight Riders released him into the auction pool – whom he has rejoined again ahead of this season — ahead of the 2023 season, his career was in cross roads. When CSK picked him, it was evident he had to bat in the middle-order, a role he wasn’t accustomed to, but that season he ended up scoring at a strike-rate of 172.49 – his highest ever. Last season it dropped down to 123.47. But in the SMAT he has been striking at 169.41. CSK’s batting coach Mike Hussey attributed Rahane’s turnaround in T20s to keeping it simple and the 36-year-old revealed how he unlocked the new version of his.
Rahane, left, being greeted by teammates at the dugout as he walks off the field after his dismissal during the first semi-final. (PTI)
Timing mantra
“My game is always about the time. I’m not too strong. It’s not about power hitting. For me, it’s always about timing the ball but at the same time having that intent from ball number one. All my shots are just extension of my defence. So I’m just focusing on that and not trying to play too hard or try to play a big shot. It’s always about timing the ball and maintaining my shape all the time,” Rahane said.
He also credits how his role changed at CSK, where from playing anchor, he was told to play his natural game, which he believes helped him maximise his T20 batting. “The last two years have been really good for me. When I played for CSK, they gave me the platform and the freedom to express myself. The message was clear from them, just go out there and play my game. That’s my natural game. I always played with the intent that I’m an aggressive batsman. Whenever I played for other franchises, my role was different, I had to play anchor role,” he said.
Since Rahane has unlocked this side of his batting, as aspect that has stood out is how he hasn’t got carried away and become a batsman he isn’t. Of course, the occasional reverse sweeps and paddle scoops have been there to see, but he has largely struck to what works for him. “Even though I’m playing at a strike rate of 190-200, it’s still classical batting. It’s not power hitting. It’s always about trying to play over mid-off, over mid-on, over extra covers for left-arm spinners. When you’re doing well, your mind tells you to do something else, something extra. And that’s where you actually make a mistake. When it’s going good, for me, it’s always about going back to my basics,” Rahane said.
Right through his knock against Baroda, Rahane didn’t drift from this plan. Not once when hit 11 boundaries and 5 sixes did he try to play differently. It meant, chasing a modest target after their batting unit, especially Krunal Pandya and Hardik Pandya failed to step up, Baroda were never in the game. With Rahane going strong, skipper Shreyas Iyer scored a typical 46 as Mumbai walked into the final in search of their second SMAT title.
Brief scores: Baroda 158/7 in 20 overs (Shivalik Sharma 36 n.o; Suryansh Shedge 2/11) lost to Mumbai 164/4 (Ajinkya Rahane 98, Shreyas Iyer 46).
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